Thru the years I have built many stands for myself and for people whom have asked or those that have bought what I built for selling. Here I wish to showcase some of my building progressions just so one can see how much goes into building a table for bonsai display.

Tri-level Stand

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29 responses to “Stands”

Truly beautiful craftsmanship AL….. I was wondering about the intricate double cut on the legs and the v cut on the corners of the top of the cascade stand…. I have seen this join on stands I have from Japan. Is there a technical name for this particular type of join, and if so would you care to share how it’s done.

It is detailed above in the post “Three Large Stands”, I just call it a triple miter. easy to do when all the joining surfaces are the same size, then they are just 45 degree cuts. If you notice above I had to make a jig to cut the face of the tall legged stand due to the shallow mateing of the thin stretcher and the thicker leg

Al I was looking for pictures on how to make bi level stands, and stumbled on this page I had not visited yet. Great step by step pictures it really gives me a good idea on where to begin. Do you have stands for sale or are these just made to order?

I will be building a new load of stands soon. Purchasing the wood this week. Don’t really build tables for people any longer. Too much like work. Love building them though. Going to work with some walnut, cherry and alder in this batch.

Very nice log. Sometimes I see you at different shows around Calif. I always wanted to see how someone makes a stand. Tom Colby showed me his workshop after he stopped making stands. Last end I made a shohin stand and sold it at this year fundraiser at the Lake Merritt. This year I am going to try and make a stand for Calif Juniper.
Hopefully I’ll see you at the Convention in Sacramento.
Dennis

Aloha Al. I am having a very hard time finding display stands in Hawaii. I’d like to build a few stands for my collection. Would you be willing to share a simple pattern/procedure for getting started, especially how you create the platform with the frame around it, the initial steps before the legs. Many thanks.

I don’t have plans or patterns for the stands I build. Each one is unique in size and shape and most are built from the gut. I have included as many photo’s of the process as possible and have no way to make the procedure any more easy to see. Thanks for your questions though..just get in and get dirty, you will find your own way.

Mostly I use satin, though I have used gloss like on the box stands I built. Shohin can stand up to a gloss finish. My favorite finish is tung oil which I use frequently. I have waxed but it depends on the type of wood. open pore wood like mahogany and such do not take wax well due to the wax becoming lodged in the open grain. Of course more lacquer means the pores close and then wax works. Most of the time I use about five coats of finish sanded between with 400 grit paper and a final coat over 4 ought steel wool buffed. Thanks for the question.

Thanks!!! I want to try Watco oil on the cherry stand after a water based rosewood stain. Three oil coats soaked in and rubbed off after a half hour each time or so. And then waxed using 600 grit to polish. What do you think? How long do you wait between lacquer coats and do you use a spray gun? Do you cut the lacquer 10 %

I have never used Danish oil. Yes I thin lacquer 15 percent. I have used a spray gun, but my wife says I am gassing her out so I switched to the tung oil. I only use oil base stains or lacquer based stains but have recently tried aniline dye which seem to work fine. (water base). Previously I was using Rit dye dissolved in denatured alcohol. I did not like the way water based products raise the grain on the wood. Aniline dye does not do this. I have no idea how it works.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your responses…I am making my first tables much the same as yours and have a whole new appreciation for why they are so expensive. Have you ever used a lacquer sanding sealer which is then 320 sanded? I am going to try the water based stain first because it seems to have a deeper color than the oil bases. My local fine furniture wood shop recommended the sanding sealer before the spray lacquer. How could I send you photos when I am finished one?